Amazon, Microsoft & Go Daddy News to Know

Too much domain news, too little time? Spring into the new season armed with the domain news you might have missed.

Single- and Two-Character .ORG Auction Starts Today: Go Daddy and Public Interest Registry (PIR) have teamed up to auction 42 valuable single- and two-character domain names like I.ORG, S.ORG and TS.ORG on GoDaddy.com, March 18. This historic auction starts today and will last 10 days. Pre-approval is required, and a look at the current auction shows domains, like 3p.org and 5v.org, going for $10, while single-character domains, such as v.org and i.org, going as high as $50,000 (and likely only to increase as the hours and days go on).

“Businesses looking for short, effective domain names are going to love the .ORG auction,” said Go Daddy Director of Domain Name Aftermarkets Paul Nicks in a statement. “These names are the best of the best. I expect the auction of these single- and two-character domain names will not only generate high interest, but also help define the aftermarket prior to the introduction of new gTLDs later this year.”

Microsoft Releases ccTLD Registry Security: A few weeks ago, Microsoft released the Microsoft Country-Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) Registry Security Assessment Service, which is meant to assist ccTLD registry operators to find and fix security vulnerabilities before they are exploited. Those who own a domain registry and are seeking a solution to help identify vulnerabilities and receive guidance that may help to improve the security of your service, can visit www.microsoft.com/cctldregsec to schedule an assessment.

“Through programs and initiatives like these, we hope to help create a safer, more trusted online experience for everyone and support a dynamic environment for increasing the dialogue and sharing of best practices within our industry,” wrote Microsoft’s Online Services Security & Compliance General Manager Pete Boden, in the company’s official announcement.

Amazon Wants .book, .author and .read: Amazon is seeking these top-level domains, and the publishing world isn’t happy with the e-commerce and technology giant’s efforts. The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers are objecting to Amazon’s request on the basis that its ownership would be a threat to competition.